The First Time
by Alexandrorca
Summary: Harlequin was thrilled the first time he encountered a fairy after the destruction of Fairy King's Forest. He just didn't realize that this encounter would be the first of something else entirely.


The former fairy King sat disgruntledly in the stiff wooden chair, trying to appear as if he enjoyed the suspiciously bitter drink he had ordered.

He would never forget the fact that he was now the _former_ fairy King. After all, what good was a King who could not protect his people, or his land? What good was the King who abandoned his friend in his time of need? And what good was the King was too ashamed of his sin to return to the girl who was the only person left alive that he loved in the world? She was just another person left waiting for him only to be disappointed.

He needed a chance to regain some semblance of responsibility. He was on a quest to find any of his people to make sure that they were safe, even if he wasn't able to protect them anymore. As long as he knew that at least one fairy had survived the attack on the Forest, he could rest with himself and what he had done. But until then, he would continue his search, and refused to spend another blissfully lazy second with his Diane.

That was why he was eavesdropping on humans in this musty, unkempt, tavern. He'd realized after a while that the humans were less likely to serve or even talk freely around one who they thought was a child, so he'd begun perfecting a disguise of some sort. Everything about the form he took was large and round, from his belly to his ears, and enabled him to be treated with respect at the taverns and bars. He started to enjoy the treatment he received from humans when he transformed.

Wait, did that table just say the word fairy?

As Harlequin listened in, he quickly pieced together the ghost story the travelers were telling. It appeared that there was some sort of "monster" attacking humans on the road. This creature had earned the name, the "Phantom Fairy", as what appeared to be a human would transform into a fairy just after delivering the final blow. Supposedly, the Phantom Fairy would kill any human they encountered.

"But, if there are no survivors, how do you know that this person turns into a fairy?" Harlequin asked.

"You're questioning my friend's story? You're not scared?"

"Well, I just want to know if anyone has actually seen them. How can you be sure that this was a fairy? Do you know someone who saw it?"

The bar patrons started to look uneasy. They began muttering amongst themselves, and the muttering soon turned to accusatory shouts.

"Why you so interested in the Phantom Fairy, huh?

"Hey, I ain't seen this guy around here before."

"Yeah… Don't look too familiar."

"Where you goin' tonight?"

"Plan on killing more people?"

Harlequin swallowed. This is not how he'd intended this conversation to go. "No, I was just going to stay here…" He hoped he wouldn't have to flee the town, but he'd rather that than have these people think he was the Phantom Fairy. But this could be the only lead he'd get. This was his chance.

Thankfully, the goddesses appeared to be smiling on him for once, as the bartender started to back him up.

"Oh, this old fart? He's been here for days, drinking till sunrise without a word. He can't be your fairy, he doesn't leave the bar."

Harlequin sighed in relief as the humans appeared to be somewhat mollified by this. With the matter apparently forgotten, they went back to discussing what to do about this monster terrorizing the region. Eventually, it was decided that a hunting party would go out and travel the roads until they encountered the Phantom Fairy and ended him once and for all.

He wouldn't join them, as he wasn't sure if this fairy would be able to recognize him even through his disguise. It really depended on who this fairy was. Harlequin decided he would trail the hunting party and intervene when the Phantom Fairy showed themself. The idea that one of his people had become a monster parents tell their children to scare them into good behavior horrified the disgraced King. Even with just one fairy, he planned to mend his failures.

The group left a few hours later, Harlequin on their tail in human form. He crept along the dark forest, while the hunting party stuck to the road. They were almost impossible to miss with their boisterous, drunken boasting and multitude of torches. Human or fairy, this Phantom would have a hard time ignoring this group.

After a while, Harlequin noticed a bulky silhouette waiting ahead of them on the road. Almost positive that this was his target, Harlequin waited until the figure made a move. As they got closer, he heard the figure unsheathe a sword. Even as it began walking towards them menacingly, the hunting party of humans paid no notice. And they still didn't notice until the sword connected with one of the men.

"No! Those idiots!" Harlequin gasped. He wasn't too happy about having to defend a group of obnoxious humans against one of his own, although really he was more unhappy with himself for waiting until one of them was attacked.

The humans were definitely on alert now, and readied their weapons at the figure, a man.

Harlequin ran out towards the group, waving his hands wildly and shouting to get the figure's attention before anyone else was hurt. "Stop! Stop!"

But his voice was ignored over the sound of the humans fighting back, and he watched as another human fell to the ground. Damn it all. Summoning Chastiefol, he sent the spear to deflect the next strike. As the clink reverberated around the clearing, everyone stopped and turned to look at the running, pudgy man as his spear returned to his side.

As Harlequin got closer, he could see that the Phantom had stopped fighting and was staring at him suspiciously. Worst of all, he recognized the form of this human. It was the man who had tormented the band of fairies and Helbram hundreds of years ago. That horrible man, who had massacred the fairies and left them bleeding on the ground. That awful human being who was the last thing Harlequin had seen before falling over the cliff where Diane had found him.

"Who are you? And why do you have that weapon?" The man who should be dead hissed.

Harlequin was struck by the sudden thought that if this fairy was so angered by the merchants' massacre that they chose to take the form of that killer, they probably wouldn't be too happy when they discovered their King was preventing their "revenge". He knew revealing his identity was inevitable after showing the sacred treasure of the fairy King, but he tried to put it off as he kept his voice calm and steady. "I know what you are. What is your name, and why are you doing this?"

The figure laughed darkly. "Do you now? Well, it doesn't matter. You won't live much longer anyway, human." He raised his sword again, and Harlequin immediately levitated to dodge. "A fairy. I don't recognize you, but you should understand how important my work is. Step aside."

Feeling he had no other choice, Harlequin released his disguise. He'd meant to order the fairy to stand down as his King (even if he didn't really deserve to give that order anymore), but it seemed that wouldn't be necessary.

As the man/fairy stared at him wide-eyed, his own transformation fell away. Harlequin found himself staring into the eyes of the friend who he thought had perished centuries ago due to another one of his mistakes. The look on his friend's face displayed the same sense of recovering something precious he thought he would never find again.

"Harlequin? Oh! It is you! I'm so happy you're okay!"

"Helbram, I can't believe it… It's been so long, I was sure that you were…" In his wildest dreams, Harlequin had never even dared to hope that he would come across his best friend alive. He couldn't help it. Tears appeared in his eyes.

Helbram laughed. "You don't have to cry about it," and he flashed him such a familiar grin that Harlequin could almost ignore the blood dripping from Helbram's sword.

But somehow, each drop to the ground brought them back to the stark reality of their current position. Even considering the fate of the fairies Helbram had traveled with centuries ago, Harlequin still couldn't imagine that this ardent fan of humans was slaughtering the people he once admired.

"Helbram. What is this?" He couldn't think of any better way to phrase his revulsion. But Helbram didn't seem to be listening.

"But… If you've been alive all this time, then…why… my friends. You were too late. I thought you would help, but you fell over that cliff and disappeared. Why didn't you come back? Why didn't you help us? And then… the Forest…" Helbram had appeared to be his smiling old friend for a few moments, but that quickly faded into a twisted expression of malice. "The Forest. Your sister. Our friends. Our home. It was all destroyed because of you. Where have you been all this time? Where have you been?"

And in the middle of his barrage of questions, Helbram rushed forward with his sword. But Harlequin didn't move, didn't fight back. He just stared at Helbram sadly. Helbram stopped short just before the blade pierced Harlequin's skin. He kept his arm raised, the sword pressing against the former fairy King's neck uncomfortably.

"I know you can stop me. Why aren't you trying? This is insulting." Helbram spat.

Harlequin didn't know what to say. He knew he deserved whatever punishment Helbram would deal out for him. What was the point of fighting back? Every word Helbram had said was true, and showed how Harlequin had turned him into a monster.

He couldn't stop himself from crying. He felt childish; he knew that in another time or place, Helbram would be making fun of him, and then in the next moment cheering him up. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry, Helbram. I don't have the words to ever apologize enough. If… If I could erase it-"

"You can't."

"I know."

Helbram kept the blade pressed against Harlequin's throat and stared at him with hollow, narrowed eyes that didn't belong on his face. "Unless you want to help me."

"Help you…" Harlequin knew exactly what Helbram meant, but didn't want to say the words.

"To get revenge for what those bastards did to our friends."

Harlequin felt like he was about to fall down a very deep chasm. "I don't think these humans had anything to do with… that." What could he call it? A tragedy, a disaster, or what? He should have noticed when he found the bodies that Helbram's was missing. He was just too distracted by his people's pain.

Helbram smirked, but it was much crueler than he had ever seen. "Oh, those fools? Don't worry, I got rid of them centuries ago. But you were right, Harlequin. You can't trust any human. That's why we need to destroy all of them before they hurt anyone else. I've killed hundreds, but it's amazing how quickly they make more of them. You'll help me, won't you? After all, you're still my best friend." As he said that, Helbram finally lowered his arm and smiled at Harlequin expectantly, but it was still a bit off-kilter.

"I…" He'd killed _hundreds_? Thank the goddesses that the rest of the hunting party had scattered when Helbram began attacking Harlequin.

"You'll do it, won't you? …No. I know you won't. You don't have it in you. You don't understand. You weren't there, you didn't hear their screams and cries of agony as their wings were slowly ripped off, carefully, so as not damage the precious commodities they were, you didn't hear that awful sound as they tore off each one, rip, rip, rip, until every single one of my friends was bleeding out on the floor, you didn't-

This couldn't go on. He had to help Helbram somehow. He had to do something. As the green-haired-fairy nearly foamed at the mouth, Harlequin noticed a single white rose growing near the woods. His friend's favorite flower. Before either of the fairies could blink, Harlequin sent the rose though Helbram's chest. Blood leaked out onto the white petals, staining the flower red.

Helbram coughed on his own blood, but he didn't look that upset. He didn't say a word, probably couldn't. He looked almost relieved.

Harlequin dashed to catch his dying friend before he hit the ground, but Helbram was dead by the time he touched him. As his tears mixed with the blood on Helbram's chest, Harlequin had only one thought to comfort him. At least he had fulfilled the promise he had made to Helbram all those years ago. But it wasn't all that comforting, and Harlequin was now alone in the woods.


End file.
